JP2010020261A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a waste of space occurs in an image forming apparatus in which a tray, on which a plurality of cartridges of different sizes can be mounted, is able to be drawn out. <P>SOLUTION: A cartridge 50k, being the largest in size among a plurality of process cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c, 50k, is detachably arranged at a location at which it is first exposed to outside when a cartridge tray 13 is drawn out. A developer storage portion having the largest capacity stores a developer of a black color. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a support member to which a plurality of cartridges are detachably mounted.

  In an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, at least one of an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a process unit that acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a developer containing portion that contains a developer is formed into a cartridge. A system that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus is employed. According to this cartridge system, the maintenance of the apparatus can be performed by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person, so that the operability can be greatly improved. For this reason, this cartridge system is often used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.

With regard to such a configuration for attaching and detaching a cartridge, there is a method of pulling out a cartridge placed on a support member and attaching and detaching the cartridge (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
JP 2006-184901 A JP 2003-316105 A

  However, in an image forming apparatus having a drawer in which a plurality of cartridges can be mounted, when only a specific cartridge is enlarged due to a large consumption amount of a specific developer, the image forming apparatus is increased in size or space. There may be waste.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of pulling out a supporting member on which a plurality of cartridges having different sizes can be pulled out and suppressing waste of space.

In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of the present invention is as follows.
In an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording medium,
Body frame,
A mounting portion that is movable between an inner position located inside the main body frame and an outer position located outside the main body frame, and in which the first cartridge and the second cartridge are detachably mounted. A support member having
Have
In a state in which the first cartridge and the second cartridge are mounted on the mounting portion, the first cartridge is located on the most downstream side of the mounting portion in the pulling direction in which the first cartridge and the second cartridge are pulled out from the inner position to the outer position, The second cartridge is positioned upstream of the first cartridge in the pull-out direction, and the first cartridge has a protruding portion that protrudes from the second cartridge in a direction orthogonal to the pull-out direction. It is characterized by this.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress waste of space in an image forming apparatus capable of pulling out a support member on which a plurality of cartridges having different sizes can be mounted.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings of the following embodiments, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Overall configuration of electrophotographic image forming apparatus)
First, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording medium will be described. This electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an inline system in which a plurality of process cartridges 50 (50y, 50m, 50c, 50k) are arranged in a line. 1 and 2 show an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as apparatus main body) 100 in which a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge”) 50 is detachably mounted. Here, the cartridge 50k as the first cartridge has a first developer accommodating portion in which a black (kT) toner T as the first developer is accommodated. The other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c as the second cartridges respectively contain the first toner T containing yellow (yT), magenta (mT), and cyan (cT) toner as the second developer. Two developer storage units are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in an apparatus main body 100 as a main body frame, a laser beam 11 based on an image signal is sent from a laser scanner 10 as an exposure means to an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) as an image carrier. The surface of the body drum 30 is irradiated. Thus, electrostatic latent images corresponding to the respective colors are formed on the respective photosensitive drums 30 (30y, 30m, 30c, 30k). These electrostatic latent images are respectively developed by the developing roller 42, and a toner image as a developer image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 30. The toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photoconductive drums 30 are applied to the transfer rollers 18y, 18m, 18c, and 18k, thereby being applied to the transfer surface of the intermediate transfer belt 19 serving as transfer means (intermediate transfer member). The images are sequentially transferred along the drawing direction. As a result, the toner images of the respective colors are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 19.

  Thereafter, the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 19 is carried out by a feeding roller 1 as a feeding means on the most upstream side of the intermediate transfer belt 19 in the drawing direction of the tray 13 (the direction of arrow D2 in FIG. 6). The recording roller P is transferred by the transfer roller 3. The tray 13 functions as a support member. Thereafter, the recording medium P is conveyed to a fixing device 6 as a fixing unit including a driving roller and a fixing roller having a built-in heater. Here, the fixing device 6 is provided upstream of the tray 13 in the pull-out direction. Then, the fixing device 6 heats and pressurizes the recording medium P on which the toner image is transferred, whereby the toner image is fixed on the recording medium P. Thereafter, the recording medium P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to a discharge tray 9 as a discharge portion by a discharge roller pair 7.

(Overall configuration of process cartridge)
Next, the cartridge 50 (50y, 50m, 50c, 50k) according to this embodiment will be described. 3 and 4 show a cartridge according to this embodiment. 5 and 6 show a state when the cartridge 50 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 100. FIG. In the present embodiment, a process cartridge will be described as an embodiment of the cartridge. Here, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which a charging unit, a developing unit, an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and the like are integrally formed, and is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the toners yT, mT, cT, and kT having different colors are stored in the cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k, respectively. The cartridge 50k has the same configuration as the other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c except that the type of toner stored and the size of the toner storage portion (developer storage portion) are large. Therefore, in the following description, the internal structure of the cartridge will be described using the other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c. Different points of the black cartridge 50k will be described later.

  The cartridge 50 includes a photosensitive drum 30 and process means as developer image forming means that acts on the photosensitive drum 30. Here, the process means refers to the charging means 32, the developing roller 42, the toner storage unit 49, the cleaning unit 33, the waste toner storage unit 35, and the like.

  The charging unit 32 charges the photosensitive drum 30. The developing roller 42 develops the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 30. A toner storage unit 49 as a developer storage unit stores toner T for developing a latent image. The cleaning unit 33 is a toner removing unit for cleaning residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 30. The waste toner storage unit 35 stores the residual toner.

  The cartridge 50 includes a first unit 31 and a second unit 41.

(Configuration of the first unit)
Next, the first unit 31 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the first unit 31 includes a photosensitive drum 30, a charging unit 32, a cleaning unit 33, a drum frame 34, and a waste toner storage unit 35.

  As shown in FIG. 4, one end side in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 30 is rotatably supported by the cover member 36 (the same applies to the developing roller 42). On the other hand, the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 30 is rotatably supported by the cover member 37. These cover members 36 and 37 are fixed to the drum frame 34 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the drum frame 34.

  A coupling member 30 a for transmitting a driving force to the photosensitive drum 30 is provided on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 30. When the cartridge 50 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, the coupling member 30a engages with the first main body coupling member 105 shown in FIG. Then, when a driving force is transmitted to the coupling member 30a from a driving motor (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100, the photosensitive drum 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow u shown in FIGS. To do.

  The charging unit 32 is supported by the drum frame 34 so as to be driven and rotated while being in contact with the photosensitive drum 30. The cleaning unit 33 is supported by the drum frame 34 so as to come into contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 30 with a predetermined pressure.

(Configuration of second unit)
Next, the second unit 41 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the second unit 41 includes a developing roller 42, a developing blade 43, and a developing frame 48. The developing frame 48 includes a toner storage portion 49 that stores toner to be supplied to the developing roller 42, and a developing blade 43 that regulates the toner layer thickness on the peripheral surface of the developing roller 42. As shown in FIG. 4, in order to rotationally drive the developing roller 42, a coupling member 67 that receives driving from the apparatus main body 100 is provided on one end side of the developing roller 42. The toner storage unit 49 corresponds to a developer storage unit (a first developer storage unit in the case of the cartridge 50k, and a second developer storage unit in the case of the other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c).

(Drawer from the image forming apparatus body)
Next, a cartridge tray (hereinafter referred to as “tray”) 13 as a support member will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the tray 13 is movable with respect to the apparatus main body 100 in the D1 direction (pushing direction) and the D2 direction (drawing direction). That is, the tray 13 is provided so that it can be pulled out and pushed in. The tray 13 can move in a substantially horizontal direction. The tray 13 has an image forming position in the apparatus main body 100, an internal separation position that is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 19 inside the apparatus main body 100, and a drawing position (outside position) that is drawn outside the mounting position 100. , Can be moved between. 1 and 2 for the image forming position, FIG. 5 for the internal separation position, and FIG. 6 for the drawing position (outer position). In particular, in the present embodiment, the image forming position, the internal separation position, and the position between them are collectively referred to as a push-in position (inner position). The tray 13 has a mounting portion 13a to which a plurality of cartridges 50 (50y, 50m, 50c, 50k) can be mounted (see FIG. 6).

  Each cartridge 50 is detachably mounted on the mounting portion 13a along the direction of arrow C in a state where the tray 13 is positioned at the drawing position shown in FIG. Thus, the tray 13 supports each cartridge 50.

  Each cartridge 50 enters (is pushed into) the apparatus main body 100 together with the tray 13 while being placed in the mounting portion 13a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge 50 moves in a state where the intermediate transfer belt 19 as a transfer member provided below and the photosensitive drum 30 maintain a predetermined distance F. That is, the cartridge 50 moves along a direction parallel to the transfer surface of the intermediate transfer belt 19. As a result, the tray 13 moves to the internal separation position (push-in position).

  Thereafter, when the door 12 is closed, the cartridge 50 is positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 100. That is, the tray 13 moves to the image forming position (push-in position). Thereby, compared with the case where the cartridge 50 is individually mounted inside the apparatus main body 100, the operability for the user can be improved.

  Next, the operation of the tray 13 will be described. In the following description, in order to make the operation of the tray 13 easy to understand, description and illustration of the cartridge are omitted. 7, 8 and 9 show the operation of the tray 13.

  The tray 13 is supported so that it can be pulled out with respect to the tray holding member 14. The tray holding member 14 is interlocked with the movement of the door 12 as an opening / closing member. The door 12 is provided so as to be rotatable about the rotation center 12 a with respect to the apparatus main body 100. The door 12 is configured to be rotatable between a closed position for closing the opening 80 shown in FIG. 7 and an open position for opening the opening 80 shown in FIG. 8.

  Next, a case where a cartridge attached to the apparatus main body 100 is taken out will be described. First, the door 12 is rotated from the closed position to the open position. As the door 12 rotates, the engaging portion 15 provided on the door 12 moves clockwise in FIG. 7 about the rotation center 12a. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8, the engaging part 15 moves in the long hole 14c provided in the tray holding member 14 from the lower end 14c2 to the upper end 14c1. As the engaging portion 15 moves, the tray holding member 14 moves in a direction away from the intermediate transfer belt 19 (arrow y1 in FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 9, in this state, the tray holding member 14 moves through the opening 80 in the direction of arrow D <b> 2 in the drawing and is pulled out of the apparatus main body 100. A perspective view of this state is shown in FIG.

  Next, a case where the cartridge 50 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, in a state where the door 12 is located at the open position, the tray 13 is moved in the direction of the arrow D1 so as to pass through the opening 80, and is pushed into (enters into) the apparatus main body 100. Thereafter, the door 12 is rotated to the closed position as shown in FIG. As the door 12 rotates, the engaging portion 15 provided on the door 12 moves counterclockwise around the rotation center 12a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the engaging portion 15 moves from the upper end 14 c 1 to the lower end 14 c 2 in the long hole 14 c provided in the tray holding member 14. Along with this movement, the engaging portion 15 moves the tray holding member 14 in a direction approaching the intermediate transfer belt 19 (in the direction of arrow y2 in FIG. 7). As described above, the cartridge 50 is positioned on the apparatus main body 100.

(Attaching the process cartridge to the main unit)
Next, the mounting operation of the cartridge 50 (50y, 50m, 50c, 50k) to the apparatus main body 100 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cartridge 50 is mounted along the direction of arrow C on the tray 13 (mounting portion 13 a) pulled out to the pulling position. Next, by moving the tray 13 in the direction of the arrow D1, the cartridge 50 passes through the opening 80 and enters the apparatus main body 100.

  In the present embodiment, the cartridge 50 enters the apparatus main body 100 along a direction substantially orthogonal to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 30 (developing roller 42).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the black cartridge 50k is detachably mounted on the most downstream side of the mounting portion 13a in the pull-out direction. The other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c are detachably mounted on the upstream side of the cartridge 50k. The distance between the upper surface portion 48ak of the developing device frame 48 in the cartridge 50k and the laser scanner 10 is smaller than the upper surface portions 48ay, 48am, 48ac of the developing device frame 48 in the cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c. In other words, in the direction in which the cartridge 50k is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 19 (the direction substantially perpendicular to the drawing direction), the distance from the laser scanner 10 is the smallest compared to the other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c. It is configured. The toner storage portion 49 of the cartridge 50k is larger than the toner storage portions 49 of the other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c. Accordingly, the cartridge 50k that stores black (black) toner, which is the first cartridge, has a toner capacity as compared with the other second cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c (which store toner other than black). Is getting bigger.

  As a method of increasing the black toner capacity as compared with the toner volumes of other colors, a method of expanding the container width of the developing frame 48 in the left-right direction (drawing direction) in FIG. 1 is also possible. However, according to the present embodiment, the distance between the photosensitive drum 30k and the photosensitive drum 30c can be reduced and the size of the apparatus main body 100 can be reduced as compared with the method of enlarging in the pull-out direction. Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, color misregistration (color registration misregistration) between images of a plurality of colors can be reduced as compared with the method of enlarging in the drawing direction, and high image quality can be obtained. This is because the intervals between the plurality of photosensitive drums 30 can be made equal.

Similarly, the upper surface portion 34ak of the drum frame 34 in the cartridge 50k has a narrower interval with respect to the laser scanner 10 than the upper surface portions 34ay, 34am, 34ac of the drum frame 34 in the other cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c. ing. Thereby, it is possible to cope with an increase in the amount of waste toner accompanying an increase in toner capacity. That is, the capacity of the waste toner storage unit 35 is increased by the same method as that for increasing the capacity of the toner storage unit. In this case as well, the distance between the photosensitive drums 30 is made equal, and the apparatus main body 100 is not enlarged in the horizontal direction in FIG. As a modification of the present embodiment, the developing frames of the cartridge 50k and the other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c have different shapes, while the drum frame 34 of the cartridge 50k and the other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c have the same shape. It is good as a frame. That is, the upper surface portion 34ak and the upper surface portions 34ay, 34am, 34ac may have the same height. As a result, the cost of the entire drum frame 34 can be reduced while obtaining the above-described effects (excluding the effect of increasing the amount of waste toner).

  In the present embodiment, the cartridge 50k has a protruding portion 50k1 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the pull-out direction as compared with the other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c. More specifically, the cartridge 50k has a protruding portion 50k1 that protrudes in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to both the axial direction and the pulling-out direction of the developing roller 42, as compared to the other cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c. The protruding portion 50k1 constitutes a part of the toner storage portion 49. This extends the life of the black cartridge 50k and decreases the replacement frequency. In addition, with this configuration, it is possible to effectively use the space upstream of the protruding portion 50k1 in the pull-out direction and improve the space efficiency of the entire image forming apparatus. Although it is possible to project the protruding portion 50k1 in the axial direction of the developing roller 42, in this embodiment, the protruding portion 50k1 is only in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to both the axial direction and the drawing direction of the developing roller 42. Is protruding. As a result, the configuration around the tray 13 can be simplified as compared with the one protruding in the axial direction of the developing roller 42. Further, in the present embodiment, the distance to pull out the tray 13 can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the cartridge 50k is increased in the pull-out direction. Therefore, according to this embodiment, usability can be improved.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in this embodiment, a black cartridge 50k having a large toner capacity and a large weight is mounted on the most downstream side (outermost side) of the mounting portion 13a along the pull-out direction. Yes. Thus, when the black cartridge 50k is replaced, when the tray 13 is pulled out, the cartridge 50k is first exposed to the outside.

  This eliminates the need to pull out the tray 13 from the apparatus main body 100 to the all-color replaceable position (position where all cartridges are exposed) shown in FIG. That is, since it is only necessary to pull out the tray 13 to a position where only the cartridge 50k can be replaced, the replacement of the black cartridge 50k having a relatively high replacement frequency becomes easy.

(Blower control board)
In order to use the gaps between the laser scanner 10 and the upper surface portions 48ay, 48am, 48ac of the cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c to prevent the temperature rise in the apparatus main body 100 (inside the main body frame), the regulating means for regulating the air flow An air blowing restriction plate 60 is provided. In addition, it can be said that the ventilation control board 60 as a control means is a fixing member fixed in the apparatus main body 100 (inside the main body frame). Here, when viewed in the pull-out direction, at least a part of the air blowing restriction plate 60 is configured to overlap with at least a part of the protrusion 50k1. Below, this ventilation control board 60 is demonstrated. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line JJ of FIG. 1, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line KK of FIG.

First, factors that increase the temperature in the apparatus main body 100 include the fixing device 6, the laser scanner 10, the rotation of the developing roller 42 in the cartridge 50, and the photosensitive drum 30. Due to these influences, the toner in the cartridge is fixed when the temperature in the apparatus main body 100 reaches a predetermined temperature or higher. In addition, a displacement due to heat may occur in the attachment portion of the laser scanner 10 of the apparatus main body 100 and the cartridge positioning portion. This displacement makes it difficult to correctly form an image on the recording material. Therefore, the apparatus main body 100 is provided with a fan 70 for preventing an internal temperature rise.

  In the present embodiment, one fan 70 is provided between the fixing device 6 that causes a temperature rise, the laser scanner 10 and the cartridge 50, and the fan 70 is efficiently cooled with fewer fans.

  The fan 70 rotates so as to blow air into the apparatus main body 100. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, the outside air is taken in from the louver 100a provided on the right side as viewed from the direction in which the tray 13 is pulled out.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the outside air a blown into the apparatus main body 100 by the fan 70 passes through the air passage a1 that cools the fixing device 6, and cools the fixing device 6 in the air passage a1-1. . The outside air a passes through the air passage a2 that insulates the yellow cartridge 50y from the laser scanner 10, and cools the cartridge 50y in the air passage a2-1. Further, a part of the branched outside air a3 passes through the air passage a4 that insulates the magenta cartridge 50m from the laser scanner 10, and cools the cartridge 50m in the air passage a4-1. The outside air a5 is branched into air paths a6 and a7 that cool the cyan cartridge 50c and insulate the cyan cartridge 50c from the laser scanner 10, and flow into the air paths a6-1 and a7-1.

  Thereafter, air is blown from the right side surface 100b of the apparatus main body 100 shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 toward the left side surface 100c to cool the fixing device 6, the cartridge 50, and the laser scanner 10, respectively. Insulation is performed.

  Here, a restriction plate 60b of the air blowing restriction plate 60 is provided in the gap between the laser scanner 10 and the upper surface portions 48ay, 48am, 48ac of the cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c. In other words, at least a part of the air flow restriction plate 60 overlaps at least a part of the cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c when viewed along the direction intersecting the drawing direction. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a restriction plate 60 b is provided from the right side surface 100 b of the apparatus main body 100 toward the left side surface 100 c. Thereby, the outside air a supplied into the apparatus main body 100 by the fan 70 can be flowed from the right side surface 100b of the apparatus main body 100 toward the left side surface 100c.

  Then, the restriction plate 60b is brought closer to the upper surface portions 48ay, 48am, and 48ac of the cartridges 50y, 50m, and 50c, whereby cooling can be performed efficiently. That is, since the air path formed by the cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c and the restriction plate 60b becomes a more closed space, a gas flow (air flow) from the right side surface 100b of the apparatus main body 100 toward the left side surface 100c. Can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the air flow flows without being obstructed, cooling can be performed efficiently. In addition, a hole 60a is formed in the air blowing restriction plate 60 in order to allow the laser light emitted from the laser scanner 10 to pass therethrough.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, when the cartridge is attached / detached, the cartridge moves by the distance F in the y1 direction within the apparatus main body 100 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the gaps between the regulating plate 60b and the upper surface portions 48ay, 48am, 48ac of the developing device frame 48 of the cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c are larger than the predetermined distance F shown in FIG. 5 in the state of FIG. Need to be separated.

Further, in the present embodiment, the fixing device 6 that is the heat source having the greatest influence is provided on the most upstream side in the pull-out direction of the tray 13, and a distance from the black cartridge 50k is ensured to be large. Therefore, the air blowing restriction plate 60 is not provided between the black cartridge 50k and the laser scanner 10.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described concretely, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, The various deformation | transformation based on the technical idea of this invention is possible. For example, the numerical values given in the above embodiment are merely examples, and different numerical values may be used as necessary.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the air blowing restriction plate 60 is configured separately from the laser scanner 10 has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained even if they are integrally formed. Moreover, you may arrange | position a part of laser scanner 10 instead of the ventilation control board 60 of the above-mentioned embodiment (refer FIG. 13). The laser scanner 10 can be said to be a fixing member fixed in the apparatus main body 100 (in the main body frame). FIG. 13 shows a case where a configuration is adopted in which at least a part of the downward projecting portion of the laser scanner 10 overlaps with at least a part of the projecting portion 50k1 when viewed in the pull-out direction.

In this embodiment, specific examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, etc.), a facsimile machine, a word processor, and the like.

  In this embodiment, the case where the cartridge is a process cartridge has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to any cartridge having at least a part of an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a process means, a developer storage portion, and the like. That is, the present invention can be applied to cartridges other than the process cartridge of the present embodiment. For example, a developer cartridge having a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer or a developing cartridge using only the second unit 41 of the present embodiment as a cartridge can be given as an example. Further, the present invention can also be applied to a cleaner cartridge using only the first unit 31 of the present embodiment as a cartridge, a charging cartridge having charging means, and the like.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the process cartridge by one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing attachment / detachment of a process cartridge in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing along the JJ line of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the KK line of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Feed roller 3 Transfer roller 6 Fixing device 7 Discharge roller pair 9 Discharge part 10 Laser scanner (exposure means)
11 Laser light 12 Door (opening / closing member)
12a Center of rotation 13 Cartridge tray (drawer member)
14 Tray holding member 14c Elongated hole 14c1 Upper end 14c2 Lower end 15 Engaging portion 18y, 18m, 18c, 18k Transfer roller 19 Intermediate transfer belt (transfer member)
30 Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
30a coupling member 31 first unit 32 charging means 33 cleaning means 34 drum frame 35 waste toner storage portion 36, 37 cover member 41 second unit 42 developing roller 43 developing blade 45 bearing unit 46 cover member 48 developing frame 48ay, 48am , 48ac, 48ak Upper surface portion 49 Toner storage portion 50, 50y, 50m, 50c, 50k Cartridge (process cartridge)
50k1 Projection 60 Blowing restriction plate 60a Hole 60b Restriction plate (regulation means)
67 Coupling member 70 Fan 80 Opening 100 Apparatus body 100a Louver 100b Right side surface 100c Left side surface

Claims (16)

In an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a recording medium,
Body frame,
A mounting portion that is movable between an inner position located inside the main body frame and an outer position located outside the main body frame, and in which the first cartridge and the second cartridge are detachably mounted. A support member having
Have
The first cartridge is mounted on the most downstream side of the mounting portion in the pull-out direction to be pulled out from the inner position to the outer position, and the second cartridge is mounted on the upstream side of the first cartridge in the pull-out direction; In a state where the first cartridge and the second cartridge are mounted on the mounting portion, the first cartridge has a protruding portion that protrudes from the second cartridge in a direction orthogonal to the pull-out direction. An image forming apparatus. The first cartridge has a first developer accommodating portion for accommodating a first developer;
The second cartridge has a second developer accommodating portion for accommodating a second developer;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion constitutes a part of the first developer storage portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first developer accommodating portion is larger than the second developer accommodating portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first developer is a black developer, and the second developer is a developer of a color other than black. Each of the first cartridge and the second cartridge has a developing roller that is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the pulling direction in order to develop the latent image formed on the image carrier.
In a state where the first cartridge and the second cartridge are mounted on the mounting portion, the protruding portion protrudes from the second cartridge in a direction orthogonal to both the direction of the axis and the pulling direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. A fixing member fixed in the main body frame;
In a state where the first cartridge and the second cartridge are mounted on the mounting portion and the support member is located at the inner position, at least a part of the fixing member is seen along the pull-out direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus overlaps at least a part of the protruding portion.   When the first cartridge and the second cartridge are mounted on the mounting portion and the support member is positioned at the inner position, the fixing member is viewed along a direction intersecting the pull-out direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least a part of the image forming part overlaps at least a part of the second cartridge.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the fixing member is a restricting unit that restricts an airflow in the main body frame.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the fixing member is an exposure unit that exposes an image carrier to form a latent image. Exposure means for exposing the image carrier to form a latent image;
Transfer means for transferring the developer image formed on the image carrier to the recording medium;
Have
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member is positioned between the exposure unit and the transfer unit in a state where the support member is positioned at the inner position. . A restricting means for restricting the airflow in the main body frame;
In a state where the first cartridge and the second cartridge are mounted on the mounting portion and the support member is located at the inner position, at least a part of the regulating means is seen along the pulling direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image forming apparatus overlaps at least a part of the protruding portion, and the restricting unit is located between the second cartridge and the exposure unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, comprising the first cartridge and the second cartridge. Fixing means for fixing a developer image on the recording medium;
13. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein in a state where the support member is located at the inner position, the fixing unit is located upstream of the support member in the pull-out direction. Image forming apparatus. Each of the first cartridge and the second cartridge includes a first unit having an image carrier on which a latent image is formed, and a second unit having a developing roller for developing the latent image. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.
  The first unit has a different shape for the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the second unit has the same shape for the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the first cartridge has the same shape as the first cartridge. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first unit has the protruding portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the second cartridges are detachably mounted on the mounting portion.

Images